Google and Facebook indexing serial numbers of firearms

1) Make accounts for all of them.
2) Make sure you photoshop multiple S/Ns on every image of the very firearm you photograph.

GIGO
 
Ill go ahead and say it...Why does it matter? If you were willing to post a picture of your firearm on the internet, its out there. There is no going back. The interwebz is public. Never post anything that you aren't willing everyone in the world to see because regardless of "security measures", they all can fail.
 
Help me on this thought:

If we use Paint or Photoshop or some form of software to blur out the S/N's, can't Google or FB undo that with their ultra-sophisticated software? Surely it's not out of the realm of reality for them to be able to digitally remove certain layers from a photo.
This. Paint or Photoshop essentially will add a layer to the image. I am sure most of Google's software strips everything down to the original layer.
 
This. Paint or Photoshop essentially will add a layer to the image. I am sure most of Google's software strips everything down to the original layer.

Or...make changes, print to pdf then post! But again...who is going to go through this hassle just to show off their new glock to their homeboyes.
 
Honestly, even if you don't post it to social media.....if you back your photos up to google photo or the cloud.....or if a 3rd party (gov or software) goes through your phone pics, those pics are out there potentially the second you take a photo with a camera phone. How many celebs have had their phone pics stolen off the phone again?
 
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Or...make changes, print to pdf then post! But again...who is going to go through this hassle just to show off their new glock to their homeboyes.
I know I am not. I might as well send them my excel doc that has every serial number already on it.
 
as a rule, IDGAF about serial numbers. Half of mine are in a bound book with my name next to it, easily scanned and indexed by any govco official that wants to break federal law while 'investigating' whatever they are doing at an FFL.

Only reason I would really be worried is if someone is out there cloning guns and selling to cartels/ne'redowells. The rest of mine are private purchases so if there's a concerted effort to link individuals with firearms ala an illegal registry, then so be it.

I still conceal my pics of firearms I post here and elsewhere, but I'm more concerned about my FFL posting his for sale pics on FB and IG and someone trying to rob him.
 
Ok I just tested this out. A few days ago I took a pic of a pistol and it auto-uploaded from my phone to Google Photos. The serial number is clearly visible. I just tried searching for that serial # and got nothing, so at least I can presume my private photos aren't being made searchable in public.

Searching the serial number from a gun I had stolen only yields my post bitching about the theft.
 
Ill go ahead and say it...Why does it matter? If you were willing to post a picture of your firearm on the internet, its out there. There is no going back. The interwebz is public. Never post anything that you aren't willing everyone in the world to see because regardless of "security measures", they all can fail.


It doesn't matter to most people, but it is a good thing to know they are doing it. Wouldn't surprise me a bit if this data gathering is used down the road in some sort of quasi-registering scheme. Just figured people would like to know that it actually is happening - that it isn't conspiracy theory - and each person can choose what to do with this knowledge as he or she sees fit.
 
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This. Paint or Photoshop essentially will add a layer to the image. I am sure most of Google's software strips everything down to the original layer.
If you export the final product as a normal JPEG, there is no way to "guess" what was once under the black box or blurred part (as long as you blurred it sufficiently). There is no Hollywood program that can cryptically piece it back together. It would be a total guess on their part.

Now, if you upload to some web-based program and do the image altering there, that's a different story as they'd have access to the original at some point.
 
I see an opportunity to troll the shit out of this if the data was being harvested by the anti's.

Like Pong, around the world in 80 days.
 
each person can choose what to do with this knowledge as he or she sees fit.

Then it is important for people to know that anything you put on the internet stays on the internet so this isn't something new to be overly concerned about. Its like jumping in a swimming pool and being concerned that your swim trunks may get wet. You in it...you being mined.

You ordered a case of 5.56 with free shipping from OutDoor Limited? Took advantage of that labor day sale and picked up 10 AR mags for cheap? Got that sweet optic on a black Friday sale? Ordered that new Magpul sling? Spent some time researching which new rifle bag may be best? Googled "best AR lowers"? Boom...enough information has been gleaned to make a statistics based conclusion that you own an AR.

Ever notice how you can search Amazon for something, and then for the next week all the ads that pop up seem to be for those products? Facebook suddenly has adds showing those things you looked at?
 
Ever notice how you can search Amazon for something,
and then for the next week all the ads that pop up seem to be for those products?
Facebook suddenly has adds showing those things you looked at?

The son of our Dept. Director worked for Amazon for a few years, he says when you are looking at items to buy the
software will generate ad revenue if you click withing a small time frame, fractions of a second.
This is beyond scanning the 'cookies' the browser has accumulated.

I'll look at a car part on Advance Auto Parts site, but not buy it, the next day I'll get a promo code by email for additional discount.
 
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AI algorithms are the future of buying, selling, and crime fighting...tell me I'm wrong. I've noticed on several occasions...just being within earshot of my phones speaker, things that were talked about, started showing up in my You Tube feed. It's constantly learning, listening, and this is just my personal opinion...pushing society in a direction We just can't comprehend. I literally haven't done an oil painting in over a year. When I was painting, I was watching all sorts of videos for inspiration... Just the other day at work...I was just thinking, I'd like to pick up the brush again...JUST THINKING IT! I come home, start scrolling through my You Tube feed...and guess what??? You guessed it! Painting videos! I believe there's a digital YOU out there...in interwebs land, and Google, Fakebook, and all these other platforms are very dangerous to Freedom...but I digress.
 
OK so to be clear- there is data, and then there is Information. Data is countless different places where little bits of your internet life are stored, and sometimes stored carefully. ( Ok probably not carefully...)

Sometimes this data is benign and really doesn't mean crap. Aka Bob spent $16 at the Quikmart.

Other times, the data is very specific and details lower level information. Bob bought 8 back issues of Sassy Gent magazine at Quikmart, for $10. He also bought a $6 tube of Smooth Lube at the Walgreens, a pack of Ramses Sphinx giga-rib condoms and a map of a neighboring state for $19. Oh, and there was a gas fill-up for $26 at the Loves truck stop and a $9 damn Mexican-like cotton blanket. ( you know the ones...) Doesnt matter the source, image scanned, direct entry, etc. its in there.

I could go on, but the fact is that your retail life maps your world in greater detail than you could ever imagine. This without any chicanery or cleverness on behalf of some Letter Agency. Buying pregnancy test kits ? Gotcha. Here's some diaper, parental paranoia ads, etc.

So, as far as Information goes. Anyone who has spent time in this area ( digital data realm) can tell you that being able to combine seemingly unrelated but comparable data can turn a bunch of benign information into very personal and valuable Information quite quick.

And it is disturbing how quickly we collectively feed the gaping maw of Big Data.

Some little bits of info mean nothing but combining it all is Power.

Also, the cows out of the barn. All you can do is minimize your footprint.
 
OK so to be clear- there is data, and then there is Information. Data is countless different places where little bits of your internet life are stored, and sometimes stored carefully. ( Ok probably not carefully...)

Sometimes this data is benign and really doesn't mean crap. Aka Bob spent $16 at the Quikmart.

Other times, the data is very specific and details lower level information. Bob bought 8 back issues of Sassy Gent magazine at Quikmart, for $10. He also bought a $6 tube of Smooth Lube at the Walgreens, a pack of Ramses Sphinx giga-rib condoms and a map of a neighboring state for $19. Oh, and there was a gas fill-up for $26 at the Loves truck stop and a $9 damn Mexican-like cotton blanket. ( you know the ones...) Doesnt matter the source, image scanned, direct entry, etc. its in there.

I could go on, but the fact is that your retail life maps your world in greater detail than you could ever imagine. This without any chicanery or cleverness on behalf of some Letter Agency. Buying pregnancy test kits ? Gotcha. Here's some diaper, parental paranoia ads, etc.

So, as far as Information goes. Anyone who has spent time in this area ( digital data realm) can tell you that being able to combine seemingly unrelated but comparable data can turn a bunch of benign information into very personal and valuable Information quite quick.

And it is disturbing how quickly we collectively feed the gaping maw of Big Data.

Some little bits of info mean nothing but combining it all is Power.

Also, the cows out of the barn. All you can do is minimize your footprint.

And let's not forget the locations of where these poducts were bought and the time stamps of when you bought it. From that we can map your travel that day. Does this person do this daily? Weekly? You can build a behavioral profile of this individual. And then there's cell phone data. What towers do you ping off of daily?
I was once affiliated with a group that required you to turn off your phone and leave it in another room. But, too late. Cell tower info shows that a particular group of numbers converge at the same location on a regular basis.
Subject A becomes a person of interest. He's part of a group, but you don't know who the members are. What numbers converge with his on a regular basis? :cool:

What would make all this scary is if we thought someone might be actively gathering and storing all this data in some sort of massive data center. Oh, wait...
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Help me on this thought:

If we use Paint or Photoshop or some form of software to blur out the S/N's, can't Google or FB undo that with their ultra-sophisticated software? Surely it's not out of the realm of reality for them to be able to digitally remove certain layers from a photo.
No. One can easily "flatten" on image such that all layering is removed.

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk
 
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